I got this car warranty call yesterday from a unknown Caller ID. My efforts to reach a live human being were unsuccessful as I got disconnected when I pressed “0.”
Here’s a recording of the call in case others were interested to hear what these calls sound like. When I get time I’ll add the others I collect.
Guitar legend Roger McGuinn is also an accomplished techie, and maintains a blog devoted solely to his various gadgets. Last month, Roger shared his journey into solar power.
What started with the purchase of a small solar panel to charge his cell phone led to him to fully convert his home to solar power. In doing so, he didn’t give up anything but a power bill: he’s got enough juice to power his two refrigerators and 5-ton air conditioner.
An amazing set of alternative-energy rebates and deals are being offered this fall to North Carolina residents. I’ll post about these soon but the deals have me seriously considering following Roger’s lead and putting panels on our roof.
You know the scene in Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life where Mr. Creosote bursts at the seams when offered a “wafer-thin mint?” That’s kind of what it’s like to serve as a baking contest judge: after a while you think the next “wafer-thin mint” might be the one that does you in!
I wasn’t sure what I was getting into when I volunteered to act as a judge for the first-annual Mordecai Historic Park baking contest. I was told there would be forty cakes and cookies to judge. I figured that wouldn’t be too bad – until the day arrived and the number of entries had jumped to 62!
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About four o’clock yesterday I’m staring at my computer screen, helping a coworker with a server issue. Suddenly I’m feeling nauseous and thinking it wise to head home. I felt strange when I stopped by the pharmacy on the way home, wondering if anyone noticed I was starting to feel sick.
At home I had a little while to eat dinner before heading out to the East CAC meeting. I skipped all handshaking and sipped water the entire meeting, walking out at one point to (attempt to) empty my stomach.
Then in a freak accident on the way out of the meeting, the city representative who helps me with the CAC slipped in the dark parking lot, broke her leg, and fractured her ankle! Though I was woozy myself, I stayed with her until the paramedics arrived to take her to the hospital. Then I drove her car back to our house, fetched Rocket, and he and I walked back to the park to drive my car home.
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It was bound to happen eventually. This morning a spam bot figured out the math test check that my SABRE plugin was using to filter human website visitors from spam bots. This happened on one of my less-frequented blogs, which actually helped me discover it as that particular blog doesn’t get many registrations.
Looks like now I’ll have to graduate my blog universe to the full-blown CAPTCHA tests if I want to keep the Russian spammers from crashing the MT.Net party.
Today is the last day of Summer 2009. Hope you enjoyed yours as much as I did mine. Hard to believe it’s over.
I’m done with judging the baking contest and lived to tell about it. Lots to blog about but we’re stepping out for the They Might Be Giants show at the art museum.
More blogging tonight.
How many cookies is too many cookies?
I’m looking for a few good pirates for a pub crawl Saturday night. I sent this email out to some neighborhood lists today:
Whereas, Saturday, September 19th is International Talk Like A Pirate Day.
Whereas, Raleigh has downtown circulator bus known as the “R Line.”
Whereas, Saturday marks the first International Talk Like A Pirate Day since the R Line came into being.
Whereas, said R Line has served as transportation for many a downtown pub crawl.
Whereas, it’s been a while since the last organized R Line pub crawl.
Whereas, pirates like to spend their silver on grog in pubs.
Whereas, Raleigh being miles from any sea is no excuse not to drink grog.
Whereas, Raleigh could use an annual costumed event like the one in that
Triangle town over the horizon.
Therefore Be it Resolved That, Saturday, September 19th is hereby declared the start of the First Annual Raleigh ARRRRRR! Line Pub Crawl.
Meet at the Seaboard Station ARRRRR! Line stop at 9 PM (Peace St at Wilmington). Pirate costumes optional this time around, but lack of them next year t’will be a flogging offence.
See you there, mateys!
Mark Turner, a.k.a.
Scowlin’ Bailey Hornigold
As part of my service on the board of the Mordecai Historic Park, I’ve been asked to be a “cookie judge” for Saturday’s Baking Contest. There are over 40 entries in this year’s baking contest, so I’m not so sure I won’t have a stomachache when we go to the They Might Be Giants concert later that afternoon. My fellow Parks board members sounded jealous of this assignment when I mentioned it last night, but I’m thinking the only recipe I’ll be interested in is a recipe for a ton of extra exercise the next day!
Come out and visit Mordecai Historic Park if you can. Once the judges have a taste, the contest entries will be distributed to the public. Dig in!
